Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Soooo, here are a few pics of Ocracoke Island in North Carolina, where we live. I've also included some photos of our boat so those of you who have no idea of what it is like to live on a smallish sailboat can imagine it. (It's great, by the way!)My kitty, Jack-rat aka Jack Dreadbelly aka Jack-cat, whatever. He's on his harness. I don't let him run free because he is a tamed feral cat and he is still a bit wild. So, when I let him come and go as he pleases, he becomes more and more wild, and much less tame, and generally hell to live with.

He is totally fine with this harness. He wears it here in the cockpit next to a bag of laundry. He has had to wear it offshore on ocean passages, since he was a kitten. He can get out of it only if it gets hung up on something. For that reason, he needs to be supervised when he is wearing it.As you can see here, he is still wearing his harness and is quite comfortable!Sleeping all propped up on books. I love him so much, I take tons of photos of him. It drives Brian crazy. He doesn't find Jack as cute and irresistible as I do!

Me drinking a Natty Lite. Any kind of beer tastes better on a boat.Brian with a couple of childhood friends that were camping in Frisco, which is a 45 minute ferry ride and 30 minute drive away, on Hatteras Island.This sweet mama duck comes by the boat a lot with her 10 babies to eat bread and cracker crumbs.Papa duck stops by once in awhile too.Our garden... an orchid that we took from our lot in Long Island, Bahamas; A pot of cat grass for Jack, a struggling croton, and two other plants that I don't know the names of without looking them up. One is some kind of succulent. Jack's indoor grass for snacking, (it's very zenlike).Baby Basil, Dill, Cilantro, and Chives.The Silver Lake Harbour entrance leading out into the Pamlico Sound. The Ocracoke Inlet is visible once you get out of the Harbour. Offshore is some of the best fishing and wreck diving on the US East Coast.Puff, our home, and TTP (tender to Puff), our "car"... when we are cruising. While we are landlubbers, we have real cars. This is something I get asked about a lot. We keep our vehicles in storage while we are cruising. Then just go and get them when we get ready to live "land life" again.The street we live on and the main "highway" on Ocracoke. Highway 12. Pretty quiet at 6:30 PM on a Tuesday in May. Can't even tell it's Cinco de Mayo!Saying hi to our friends who sailed in on this Beneteau that they chartered out of Oriental, NC.The view of our dock from another dock. Our boat is the farthest on the left. You can barely make out the blue on her hull and my bright yellow kayak.The Ocracoke Lighthouse across the Harbour...Charlie drinking out of this cool seashell fountain at the Silver Lake Motel. No Holiday Inns here!In fact, no chain establishments of any kind.This is typical of the little shops here, very cute.This shop, Mermaid's Folly, is across the street from us. They sell super cute island-y clothes.

The pirate ship, Windfall, sailing out of the harbour.Brian giving me a big cheesy grin.My reflection in a sportfish yacht's window.This is our kitchen, in a boat, it is called a galley. We have a 2 burner propane stove with an oven. I can bake pies and everything! You can also see cabinets and a stainless steel sink with both fresh and saltwater foot pumps (saves electricity and water!), and pressurized fresh water, which we hardly ever use.This is what it looks like from the bow, where our bed is. You are looking at the companionway (the front door) in the stern. There is tin foil wrapped around the beautiful teak wood in the galley, because it is the only the only thing that keeps Jack from ruining it with his claws.My work space. Known as a settee in boat language. Miss Crafty (Not!-aka me) made the curtains on my very own sewing machine. Living and traveling on a boat makes you want to be a little crafty. I have tried watercolors, sewing, jewelry making... Also, notice the sisal rope wrapped around the mast for Jack to climb. Oh yeah, my work space settee is also Charlie the dog's bed at night. Everything on a boat must serve several purposes.The view inside from the front door/companionway, (at the back/stern of the boat). Notice the mounted wall vase that can't tip over, the fridge in the middle of the floor where Jack is lying on it, and the bed/V-Berth in the back of our living space and the front/bow of the boat. Dizzy yet? Welcome to my world.The head/bathroom/toilet. Note the miniature size and all the hoses and pumps everywhere. This is a very clean, functional head for a boat. On the left is a shower curtain drawn to the side and a removable shower head mounted on the wall. To take a shower, you just shut the door, pull the curtain so water doesn't get out of the cracks around the door, and enjoy. We usually take showers in an outdoor shower because it has more room, less to clean up, and better water pressure.This is the view from sitting on the toilet. Haha. It really is though. The cabinets in front of you are the only place to keep our clothes. You can't have a lot of clothes, hence why we like warmer climates, less clothes! Again, the tin foil is to keep Jack's claws out of the wood.Or bed aka the V-Berth. It is in the bow and when we sleep, our feet must rest side by side in the small V at the base of the bed. This is also where the anchor locker is. You can see a gear hammock over my side, where I pile as many clothes as possible. And the laundry basket under the bed, like most items on a boat, was purchased especially for that space. There is a giant, scary African tribal mask at the foot of the bed, but you can't really see him. He has no significance except to keep us company.This is the back porch/cockpit. The table is folded down, but you can put it up for al fresco dining. Above the table are drinkholders, for when we are sailing at a 45 degree angle. The BBQ grill is mounted on a rail (on your left) and sports a cover made by yours truly. Well, that's it! Hope you enjoyed the tour. Do you think you would or could live on a boat like ours?